SPEAKERS

Click on the speaker names to view their biographies. Click here to view presentation details.

Rebeca Scharf is currently in charge of the Food Safety Department at Kellogg Latin America based in the Kellogg Corporate offices in Querétaro, México. She has been leading the SQF implementation and certification process throughout all Kellogg Latin America plants, together with their respective Food Safety and Quality Managers.

She has over 12 years of experience in the food business, working in the cereal and confectionery industries in the fields of R&D, quality and food safety. Her career has taken her from intensive on-the-floor experience in the Kellogg Colombia manufacturing plant, to supplier development and co-manufacturing in Kellogg Latin America in charge of RTEC, cookies and crackers.

Rebeca holds a degree in Food Engineering from the U.J.T.L. (Bogotá Colombia).  In addition she has completed complementary studies in Quality and Food Safety Systems.

Donna Garren, Vice President, Food Safety, Programs for The Consumer Goods Forum,
General Session: Friday, October 23, 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Global Food Safety Initiative Updates

Dr. Donna Garren is the Vice President, Food Safety Programs for The Consumer Goods Forum, an independent global parity-based consumer goods network. She is responsible for the Global Food Safety Initiative activities in the North American region. Her extensive background and expertise in food science, nutrition and regulatory affairs are instrumental in building and enhancing proactive efforts in food safety.

Prior to joining The Consumer Goods Forum, Donna was the Vice President, Health and Safety Regulatory Affairs for the National Restaurant Association (NRA), headquartered in Washington, DC. Her responsibilities included advising and representing the NRA and its membership on health and safety legislative and regulatory issues impacting the restaurant industry.

She previously spent six years as Vice President, Scientific and Technical Affairs at the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association (United) where she was responsible for all produce food safety, food security and food quality related issues and activities, science-based regulatory and legislative activities, and technical consultation to United’s membership.

Donna graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in food science and nutrition, with a minor in microbiology. She earned her doctorate degree in food science and technology from University of Georgia. In 2005, Donna was selected by Produce Business Magazine as one of the produce industry’s “40 under 40 Rising Stars.”

Debbie Harrison, Consultant, Harrison Consulting Services
Track Two: Thursday, October 22, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
SQF 1000 Case Study (Strawberries)

Debbie Harrison has over 20 years of experience in the food industry and is the founder of Harrison Consulting Services, based out of Ventura County CA. As a consultant, Debbie assists produce growers and processors with the implementation of Quality Systems and provides seasonal on-site Quality Assurance management to produce related companies. She is also an independent contract auditor for Silliker, Inc. Prior to developing Harrison Consulting Services 12 years ago, Debbie worked for Nestle, Dole and the JM Smucker Company. She has a degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Alejandro Castillo, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
General Session: Thursday, October 22, 9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Produce Safety in Latin America: Myths and Realities

Dr. Alejandro Castillo is Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, where he is also a member of the Graduate Faculty of Food Science. He teaches the graduate course in Microbiology of Foods. Prior to joining the Texas A&M faculty in 2002, Alex was a Professor in the Department of Biology and Pharmacy at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. He has taught courses in food safety at the graduate level as guest professor at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the University of Guatemala Valley and the University of Central America in Nicaragua.

Alex's research interests include the development of control measures for minimizing and reducing pathogens in fresh and fresh-cut produce and on beef carcasses, the prevalence of pathogens in fresh produce and the use of electron beam irradiation for food safety purposes. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, has authored or co-authored 6 book chapters and has published two books as editor. He is an active member in various professional organizations and assists as reviewer in different scientific journals.

Alex holds a Bachelor degree in Biology and Pharmacy, a specialty diploma in Sanitary Microbiology and a Masters degree in Food Microbiology and Hygiene from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. In 1998, he received a PhD in Food Science and Technology from Texas A&M University and completed a post doctoral stay at Texas A&M in 1999, working on food microbiology. 

Gary M. Smith, Technical Director, SQF Institute
Track Two: Thursday, October 22, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Managing Supply Chain Data with SQF Quickfire

General Session: Friday, October 23, 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
SQF Program Report

Gary M. Smith is the Technical Director of the SQF Institute where he is responsible for the development and coordination of the SQF standards and supporting documents. He also works with committees and certification bodies executing the SQF standard and conducts training courses in implementing and auditing SQF Systems.

Gary began his more than 20-year career in food safety as an Environmental Sanitarian with the State of Missouri Department of Health before progressing to the manufacturing sector, where he worked as a quality manager within the
meat products industry. From 1994 to 2005 Gary lead the Technical Services Department at Silliker, Inc, where he was responsible for development of their education and auditing programs. Prior to joining SQFI in 2008, he spent over
three years with US Foodservice as Director of Food Safety for Distribution and Private Label Suppliers, where he oversaw the implementation of US Foodservice's requirement for private label suppliers to be SQF certified.

He is a registered environmental sanitarian through the National Environmental Health Association, a certified Quality Auditor - HACCP through the American Society of Quality, a certified HACCP instructor for the National Seafood HACCP Alliance and the International HACCP Alliance, and he has been trained by Temple Grandin to conduct animal handling audits for a variety of livestock. Gary is also an active member of the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP).

Gary holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois and a Masters degree in Environmental Biology from Governor's State University, University Park, IL.

Frank Yiannas, Vice President Food Safety, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
General Session: Friday, October 23, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Opening Borders: Bringing Buyers and Suppliers Together in a Global World

As Vice President of Food Safety, Frank Yiannas oversees all food safety, as well as other public health functions, for the world's largest food retailer, Wal-Mart. Frank's scope of responsibilities includes food safety oversight of Wal-Mart's stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Clubs. Training and education of thousands of associates, hundreds of food suppliers, and a number of critical regulatory compliance issues also come under his purview.

Prior to joining Wal-Mart in 2008, Frank was the Director of Safety & Health for the Walt Disney World Company, where he worked for 19 years. In 2001, under his tenure, Walt Disney World received the prestigious Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety by the International Association for Food Protection.

As a frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Frank is known for his ability to build partnerships and for his innovative approaches to food safety. In 2008, Frank was given the Collaboration Award by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He is the 2007 recipient of the NSF International Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety.

Frank is also a Past President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and the current Chair of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network's Board of Directors. He is the author of the book, Food Safety Culture, Creating a Behavior-based Food Safety Management System. Frank is a Registered Microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiology. He holds memberships with several professional associations, including the National Environmental Health Association, the American Society of Microbiology, and the Institute of Food Technologists. He received his BS in Microbiology from the University of Central Florida and his Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of South Florida.

Charles F, Cook Ph.D., Managing Partner, Country Fare Consulting, LLC
Product Traceability – Best Practices, Complexity and Challenges
Track Two: Thursday, October 22, 3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Dr. Charles F. Cook is Managing Partner of the Food Safety and Quality Consulting Firm of Country Fare Consulting, LLC, consultants to SUBWAY® Restaurant System and the franchisee owned Independent Purchasing Co-operative (IPC).  Prior to founding Country Fare Consulting, Dr. Cook, was co-founder and co-managing partner of Cook & Thurber, LLC, Food Safety and Quality Auditors and Consulting.  Previously Dr. Cook was employed by Oscar Mayer Foods, Managing Quality and Regulatory Affairs. 

Dr. Cook obtained is B.S. from Oregon State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Dr. Cook was on the faculty of the University of Sydney in Australia and held an adjunct appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his long professional career of more than 50 years, he has served in an advisory capacity to both USDA and FDA.  At various times he has been an active member of numerous trade and professional associations. 

Tim White , Vice President Quality Control, Berry Plastics Corporation
Total Quality Management Principals - Raising the Bar in SQF Level 3
Track Two: Friday, October 23, 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Tim White is the Vice President, Quality Control for Berry Plastics Corporation. In this role he is responsible for quality, regulatory and food safety issues. Berry Plastics is a leading manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products, producing a wide range of products, including open top and closed top packaging, polyethylene-based plastic films, industrial tapes, medical specialties, packaging, heat-shrinkable coatings and specialty laminates.

Prior to his appointment at Berry Plastics, Tim served as Director of Quality for Park-Ohio Rubber Company, a tier 1 & 2 automotive supplier.  His diversified career of 20-plus years has afforded him a wealth of experience in the chemical, pharmaceutical, personal care, automotive and plastics industries.

Tim is a founding member of  FSAP (The Food Safety Alliance for Packaging), a  coalition of more than 30 food, packaging and industry groups working together to promote food packaging safety awareness and provide resource tools and training for the packaging supply chain. He has recently been engaged to assist with updating food safety packaging audits with AIB and SQF.

Tim is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, ISO Certified Auditor, ISO Lead Assessor, and CQM, CQE and HACCP-certified.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity University. 

Kim Onett, Audit Operations Manager, Silliker, Inc
Auditor Calibration and Standardization
Track One: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Luis Cruz, Director, AVQ Consultoria Integral, S.C.
SQF 101: A Basic Guide
Track Two: Thursday, October 22, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Luis Alberto Cruz is the director of AVQ Consultoria Integral, S.C., a consulting company for the food and agricultural industry. Since 2004, AVQ has served as an SQF regional office for Mexico and Central America and is a licensed SQF Training Center.

Mr. Cruz is an expert in Sanitary and Phytosanitary issues (SPS) and food safety. He has vast experience in technical and trade related food and agricultural issues within the international arena, and has extensive expertise in business consulting.

From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Cruz acted as the Mexico’s SPS Attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he was directly involved in negotiations with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA Food Safety Inspection Service and the Animal and Health Inspection Service, to promote the recognition of food safety programs to grant market access to commodities such as seafood, meat and poultry and fruits and vegetables. He was responsible for the implementation of a food safety program for cantaloupes in Mexico that allowed exports to resume after being under detention in the U.S. and Canada.

From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Cruz served as an advisor for the National Foreign Trade Bank (BANCOMEXT), with direct involvement in financial support for food export businesses. He also served as Director General for the Mango Exporters Association, the largest exporter association of tropical fruits in Mexico, from 1995 to 1998. From 1991-1995 he served as head of the International Cooperation Programs for the Plant Protection, Imports and Exports Unit and Sanitary Inspection Services at the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr. Cruz holds a B. Sc. Degree in Agronomy, with a major in Plant Protection, Food Irradiation Training from the University of Florida and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; and Plant Protection and Quarantine Training under the Cochran Fellowship Program.

Patricia Wester, Director of Food Safety Systems, Eurofins Scientific
Interpreting Major and Minor Non-Conformance
Track One: Thursday, October 22, 3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Patricia Wester is Director of Food Safety Systems for Eurofins Scientific. She is responsible for developing and coordinating auditing and certification activities in the North American region in cooperation with the Eurofins Certification Group in Les Ulis, France. Previously the Vice President of Food Safety for the Quality Auditing Institute (QAI), she became part of the Eurofins team as a result of Eurofins’ acquisition of the QAI Food Division.

Prior to joining Eurofins, Patricia held the position of Regional Operations Manager for the Americas for SGS’ Consumer Testing Services, where she was instrumental in the development and launch of SGS U.S. Food Operations.

She achieved her Bachelor of Science degree in Poultry Science from the University of Florida and was employed in various positions within the meat industry before entering the field of food safety. She began her career in food safety as Director of Process and Product Development at ABC Research Corporation in Gainesville, FL

Patricia is a long time veteran in the food safety arena and is involved in a variety of committees and organizations. She is a member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) where she participates in several professional development groups, including retail food safety, applied methods and meat and poultry safety.

Patricia is Chairperson of Food Safety Service Providers, a recently formed coalition of accredited certification bodies and laboratories focused on establishing best practices and continuous improvement in the delivery of food safety services to all segments of the food industry.

A native Floridian, Patricia resides just outside of Gainesville with her husband of 30 years and 2 children.